The Buying Game (Issue 26)

How I’d spend $500: FUJIFILM Instax Mini Evo Cinema Hybrid Instant Camera

The Cinema Hybrid Instant Camera is both Fujifilm at its best and at its worst. The idea of a still and video camera that has a built-in instant printer is pretty cool. Even better are the filters for different decades. Shoot 1970s-looking video with the twist of a knob. The bad part is the price. It's a potentially niche product at a premium price.

Price: $410 [pre-order] (link)
Value Score: Poor

The camera only shoots 15-second video clips. The internal storage only has room for 10 videos or 50 images. That means you'll likely need a microSD card too.

How I’d spend $150: Alpaka Flow Satchel (4L)

There are several reasons I like the Alpaka Flow Satchel, but the primary one is its water bottle pocket. You don't see many small, crossbody bags with any spot for a bottle, much less one that expands to accommodate a wide range of containers. The four-liter version even has a luggage pass-through for carry-ons and a flat bottom to stand up.

Price: $109 (link)
Value Score: Fine

The four-liter size looks best to hold a good amount of stuff without being too big, but the two-liter one still has an adjustable water bottle pocket if you want to keep your crossbody bag small.

How I’d spend $50: IKEA Bilresa

While IKEA's smart home accessories aren't necessarily the most exciting products at first glance, they are super helpful and cheap. For $6, the IKEA Bilresa offers a remote control for nearly anything in your smart home. It features two buttons that can be set for single press, double press, or long press—enabling six commands.

Price: $6 (link)
Value Score: Great

As soon as I set up the Bilresa to control my office lights, I instantly wanted two or three more of these remotes for other rooms around the house. The remote also has a magnetic attachment piece so you can stick it anywhere.

Note: I've seen the price fluctuate between $5.99 and $9. Even at the higher price, it would still be a great deal. There's also a three-pack for $15.

The winning pick: IKEA Bilresa

With both loaded functionality and a low price, the Bilresa is a must-have for anyone with at least a few smart home devices. So far, it's worked great. If you want to use the IKEA app, you'll need a hub, but otherwise, it will just work over Matter in apps like Apple Home.

Are you looking for even more picks this week? Here are a few things worth considering.

An expensive pick: Amazon Ember Artline TV

Amazon will soon have its own Frame TV to compete against Samsung's. The Ember Artline TV is made to look like a piece of art with its 10 changeable frames. The 4K QLED display with Fire TV built-in seems pretty generic, but it does undercut Samsung with a starting price of $899 for the 55-inch version. I've looked at art TVs before, and the biggest offense to me is the black bar hanging off the bottom of the TV in the center. It breaks the illusion.

Price: $899 (55-inch), $1,099 (65-inch)

Media pick: The World's Most Important Machine

There's one company in the world that can produce the chips Apple needs for its devices—technically and at scale. That's TSMC in Taiwan. Separately, there's one machine on Earth that TSMC relies on that's capable of producing these chips. That machine comes from ASML in the Netherlands. This video is a look at that $400,000,000 machine—not a typo on zeros. If you know anything about computer chips, this video will blow your mind. Even better, is that if you don't know anything about these kinds of chips, your mind will still be blown.

This week's other interesting deals and product news

• Apple debuted its Creator Studio subscription for creative apps this week. For $129 per year, you gain access to several apps, including Logic and Final Cut Pro. (If you're a student or teacher, that price is $30 per year.)
• Insta360 has two new webcams, the Link 2 Pro and Link 2C Pro. They retail for $250 and $200, respectively.
• The Reebok FloatZig Tread are new running shoes made for the treadmill. I just got some in to try out. Now, I just need a new treadmill.
• Spotify is raising prices for its Premium plan, from $11.99 to $12.99 per month.
• Star Wars leadership is changing hands from Kathleen Kennedy to Dave Filoni.
• Meta is shutting down several VR studios, including its workout app Supernatural.
• Apple and Google announced that the companies are working together and that Apple will use Gemini to help power Siri.

This week's published stories

• I Tried 4 Pairs of Wired USB-C Earbuds Under $30. There Was One Clear Winner [PCMag]
• This do-it-all backpack excels at travel and daily use. It's a must-see [Yahoo]
• Opinion: It's a smart move for Apple to use Google's Gemini to power Siri [Yahoo]
• New to James Bond? Start with these 4 movies to get into the 007 franchise [Yahoo]
• Shopping for a cheap Apple laptop? Here's what a tech expert recommends in 2026 [Yahoo]